The Forbidden City and Puppy Love
by MissRapunzel14
Summary: Annabeth's father is a bit tyrant-like, and he forbids her to go to Atlantis. The more he forbids her, the more drawn to it she feels. Percy is her best friend since, well, ever. Things start to change and eventually Percy and Annabeth are caught up in a whirlwind of half-revealed secrets and stories that would be enough to make anybody's head spin. Can she find out the truth?
1. Chapter 1

Atlantis. The colorful world my tyrant-like father forbids me to enter. Of course, a forbidden world is a tempting one. Every time he forbids me to go to Atlantis, I feel the currents pulling me toward it even more.

Right now, I'm hanging out with my best friend, Percy. He's staring at me through his deep-brown eyes intensely. I return his gaze, directing my bright blue eyes to look straight into his. He keeps staring, neither one of us blinking. Finally, I laugh nervously, pushing a strand of my wet, brown hair to the side.

I'm in the pool at my house, crossing my arms above the water, on the cement, and Percy is sitting at the glass patio table with black, iron and wicker (strange combination, I know) chairs.

"Why are you staring at me, Puppy?" I say, using my nickname for him.

Percy and I grew up together, and we'd always been a little…weird, to put it mildly. Instead of hanging out at the ice cream shop downtown, we'd climb the steep hill behind my house – his was across the street – and invent crazy snacks. Our favorite was always pickles and peanut butter.

On the day I came up with this nickname for him, Percy had been trying to get me to try cotton candy dipped in hot sauce and sprinkled with cheddar cheese shreds. I'd scrunched up my face, refusing even to touch it. Percy, ever determined to get my to try his new creation, had widened his eyes, pouted his lips, and tilted his head to the side. After trying not to let his chocolate eyes get to me, I'd finally caved.

"You look like a puppy!" I snapped, grabbing the cotton candy from his hand and taking a bite with a huff.

It was gross, just like I knew it would be. But Percy had a way of getting me to do things I wouldn't normally do. His puppy-dog-look was just one of many tactics he used against me.

Now, Percy blinked and leaned back, laughing. He stretched his arms above his head before settling back in his chair and returning his gaze to me.

"No reason, Annabeth. I just like staring at you."

I give him a look, "Oh, really?"

He looks up like he's thinking before intertwining his fingers behind his head and leaning back in a relaxed pose.

He shrugs, "Yep."

"So," I say, raising an eyebrow, "I don't have food on my face or something stuck to my tail?"

Percy sits up straight, resting his hands on the table. I don't know, twirl around and let me see."

I roll my eyes at him. "I'm not giving you a show."

Percy pouts, slumping back in his chair. I smirk before diving underwater and skimming the bottom of the pool, heading straight for the deep end. Flipping over so I can face the surface, I see Percy stand and watch me, crouching by the side of the pool. When I found out I had a tail, Percy had been the first to know.

_"Percy! Silence. "Percy!" I yelled. I heard footsteps running towards me. I was in the pond near our willow tree that we always sat under whenever we wanted to hang out and talk, play games, or try crazy food concoctions. Planning on going for a swim by myself, I'd dove straight in and risen to the surface only to discover a shimmering navy-blue tail replacing my legs. _

"_Woah."_

_Percy had reached the side of the pond and could see my tail through the crystal-clear water. He backed up a few steps, his eyes never leaving my tail. I stared after him, my mouth open even though I couldn't force out any words. All I knew was that I didn't want him to leave. Percy stopped, slowly lowering himself to a sitting position on the soft, green grass. _

"_Dude," he started, turning things over in his mind, "you have a tail!"_

"_No, really?" I spat sarcastically._

_ Percy looked at me, his blue eyes piercing through his dark-brown, shaggy hair. I expected his expression to be defensive - after all, I'd just snapped at him – but he just gave me a small smile. I smiled back guiltily, sorry for snapping at him. _

_ Percy had helped me out of the pond, pulling me onto the grass. As soon as my tail touched the dry ground, my legs returned in a blur of dim, blue light. Percy and I had both looked at each other and made a vow to never tell anyone about this – about me. _

_ I'd eventually told my father, who revealed to me that he was a mermaid – well, merman in his case – too. I was hurt that he never told me, that he just let me find out on my own. What if I'd been by a bunch of people when my body finally decided it could change? I don't even want to think about what would've happened._

_ My father worked with me after school from that day forward, training me to resist the urge to transform when I was in water. Now, I can swim without my legs being traded for a tail. Also, I've developed the ability to control small amounts of water. Percy has always been there for me, but I know he's always wanted a tail of his own. He jokes about it a lot. _

I splash through the surface, doing a flip in mid-air before diving down again and coming up to rest my arms on the side of the pool. Percy smiles down at me.

"And you said you wouldn't give me a show…show off." He teases.

I stick my tongue out at him and grin. Percy extends his hand and I take it, letting him help me out of the pool even though I could just switch to my legs and climb out. Percy loves to tease me, tickle me, and even humiliate me sometimes, but when it comes down to it, he's a gentleman, a cocky one, but still.

I watch my tail disappear and admire the dim, blue light. Percy watches too, and we smile at each other. It only lasts for a second, but the light is still mesmerizing. Standing up, I brush my self off and suggest we head in for snacks.

"Pickles and peanut butter?" Percy asks hopefully.

I smile, "What else?"


	2. Mondays

It's surreal to think that just 3 years ago, when Percy and I were both 14 years old, I didn't have a tail. 3 years ago, I was normal – well, as normal as I could get what with being friends with Percy and all. As I look back, I realize that, somehow, my being a mermaid only made Percy and I grow closer. I depended on him more. After all, I didn't want him telling my secret. That trust only grew, and now we know we can trust each other with anything and everything.

We're almost always together, but the one place I can't take him is the ocean. I can take him to the shore, but he can't swim as deep as I can. Eventually, Percy stopped coming with me altogether since I'd always end up diving deep below and exploring the salty, underwater world I'd come to love so much. I would inevitably lose track of time, resurfacing only to realize the sky was now pitch-black and Percy would be playing games on his iPhone. I apologized every time, but I couldn't resist the urge I always felt.

I don't know how to describe the hold the ocean has on me, but every time I get in the water, it's like it's singing to me. It pulls me gently down, urging me forward. Every time, I'm pulled in the direction of Atlantis. When I see the colorful city shining in the distance, I stop. It's nearly impossible, almost painful, but I manage to stop swimming.

The currents push harder, the ocean's song sings louder, and everything seems to pull me in that direction, but I stay suspended in the water a few dozen miles away, where the city is just a speck in the distance. I know if I swim any closer, I won't be able to resist. That's where I stay, trying to take in the beauty I can see from my spot. Even from miles away, the city is breathtaking.

I drove to my favorite spot with access to the ocean today, my red Chevy Pickup rumbling low and sputtering to a stop on the sand. Before the gears even fully shifted into park, I jumped out and dove into the water, trading my long, tan legs for a shiny, blue tail. Within minutes, I was hovering in the seaweed, trying not to rush towards Atlantis. Today, the pull is stronger. Strangely, I can't hear the ocean's song, but the pull is still there. _Maybe just a little closer,_ I think. I swim a few miles nearer, stopping – with great effort – when I reach a bed of pink seashells. I gaze in awe at the sharper detail. The city is still a blur, but I can make out more of it now. I see shades of silver and gold that I hadn't noticed before.

I bite my lip. Everything in me is screaming to swim closer, to swim _in _to Atlantis. My tail starts moving and I realize I'm swimming towards the glowing buildings without meaning to. I stop suddenly and shut my mouth as if it will stop the ocean from pulling me.

I take a deep breath. _I never should have swam closer, I can't handle this._ Composing myself, I barely manage to pull away and swim for the surface.

My eyes meet a pair of mysterious blue ones. The blue eyes travel down, seeing my tail, and widen. I gasp and dive back underwater. The last thing I notice is soft spikes of blond hair nearing the surface as the guy I just ran into leans out of his boat to watch me swim away.

I groan inwardly while I swim. The likelihood of me popping up conveniently near a small fishing boat like that is astronomically small. And yet, I'd managed to reveal my secret to a complete stranger. _At least __**they are**__ a stranger, _I remind myself. _They'll probably just think they saw a mermaid and leave it at that. There's no reason they'd know I was human too. _I sigh, trying to convince myself that everything will be fine. _He wouldn't tell anyone, right? After all, no one would believe him…would they?_

The next day, I woke up in a sweat, trying to escape from my nightmare. The blonde boy had found me and taken me to a group of evil scientists. He'd sneered in my face, "You freak of nature." The scientists locked me away in some sort of glass cylinder and filled it with water, turning it into a tank to force me to turn into a mermaid. I couldn't breathe. I tried to turn but, for some reason, I couldn't. I started panicking and pounding on the glass, but they wouldn't help me. They just watched me like I was nothing more than an animal, an experiment. That's when I woke up.

Last night, I'd swam straight back to my truck, jumping in after switching back to my legs. I didn't even stare at the dim, blue light like I usually do. I was too panicked. I started the engine, switched the gears, and immediately fishtailed – no pun intended - out of the beach, kicking up an enormous cloud of sand in my wake. I debated whether or not I should tell my father or Percy about what happened. By the time I got home, I'd decided not to tell anyone; after all, it wouldn't matter. Nothing was going to happen. That's what I kept telling myself all night long, over and over again. But my heart kept beating just a bit too fast, betraying my actual thoughts. I was scared.

About a week went by, and I forgot about the blonde boy. I did end up telling Percy about it though. I didn't like keeping things from him. He was a little upset that it took me two days, but he understood. When I started crying without knowing exactly why, Percy calmly wrapped me in his arms and waited for the tears to stop flowing. As soon as they did, he grabbed a jar of pickles and a jar of peanut butter.

Today is Monday; I hate Mondays. Every thing bad seems to happen on a Monday. The day I skinned my knee for the first time: Monday. The day my cat died: Monday. The day I surfaced in front of blonde-boy: Monday. So, every Monday I'm waiting for another shoe to drop, hoping at the same time that I'll get by without anything bad happening.

Mr. Brunner, my homeroom teacher, is shuffling papers awkwardly at the front of the classroom. While the rest of us wait for him to get his act together, I turn to my right and face Percy, who sits right beside me. Homeroom is the only class we have together other than gym. We don't even have the same lunch period.

"Psst," I whisper, "do you know what's for lunch?"

Percy grins, the mention of food is all it takes to make him happy.

"Corn dogs and tater tots," he replies.

I smile and mouth, "Thanks."

Percy nods and we both turn back around. I want to say something else – it's so boring listening to Mr. Brunner spit out the morning announcements like a drone – but there isn't much to say. Whispering in this classroom is unnerving because the air is always stiff and quiet. What you say will eventually echo, and that defeats the purpose of whispering in the first place.

I shuffle my feet and turn to stare out the window on my left. I sit in the very back corner of the classroom with only the window on my left and Percy on my right. The desk in front of me is empty, and the guy who sits in front of Percy always has his ear buds in, and his head hung low. This essentially gives Percy and I our own little corner.

I'm still staring out the window when I feel a shift in the room's atmosphere. It sounds weird, but I could _feel_ someone enter the room. I don't know how to explain it exactly, but it was like every warm spot in the room turned cold and my whole body turned to ice. Goosebumps dot my arms and I slowly turn to face the front of the room. I stiffen, my eyes widening, and feel my stomach drop. Blonde-boy. Mr. Brunner beams at him before clearing his throat.

"Welcome," he says, shaking hands with blonde-boy.

Clearing his throat again, Mr. Brunner turns to face the room.

"Class," he starts, "this is Jason Grace; he's a new student here."

Students previously staring at their desks look up suddenly; a new kid is big news in this small town.

Mr. Brunner continues, glad to have something more interesting than the morning announcements to focus on.

"So, Jason, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself?"

Blonde-boy – I mean, Jason – grins sheepishly and slides his hands halfway into his jeans pockets.

"Um," he starts, "I moved here a little over a week ago and enrolled during this weekend. I have an older sister named Thalia, she's a grade above me."

Every single girl in the classroom is leaning forward, hanging on to Jason's every word. If this were a different situation I, however, am leaning back, trying desperately to get away from this moment, to escape the inevitable horror of this event.

Jason continues, thankfully looking at the ground for the majority of his self-introduction. I stare at my desk, not daring to look up. Maybe if I keep my head low, he won't notice me. Jason says a couple of things about why they moved here and Mr. Brunner laughs jovially when he's finished, acting like they're old pals. Finally, the scene is over and Mr. Brunner clears his throat for the third time this morning, scanning the room for an empty desk.

"Annabeth."

My head shoots up.

Mr. Brunner smiles, "I trust you'll be delighted to show Jason around?"

He says more, but I don't hear a word after that because when I look up, frozen like a deer caught in headlights, Jason's eyes are locked straight onto mine, recognition dawning in the blue of them.

I hate Mondays.


	3. Stare Down

Too soon, the bell ending homeroom rings and I'm left gathering my things, trying not to fumble. I can feel Jason's eyes still watching me; I don't know what to do. Why, out of all the students in our class, did Mr. Brunner choose _me_ to show blonde-boy around?

Trying to push the negative thoughts away, I stand up straight and take a deep breath before turning around and walking purposefully towards blonde-boy. My strides falter though, and I stop short of Jason by at least 10 feet. He doesn't do anything, doesn't say anything, he just stares. I stare back, vulnerable and unable to mask the fear that's rising higher in me with every passing second. Mr. Brunner clears his throat, his eyes darting between us awkwardly.

Finally, Jason smiles, "Hi, I'm Jason."

"Annabeth," I say quietly, much too quietly to hear, but Jason nods anyway.

Mr. Brunner beams and turns to sit at his desk, happy to shrug off the tension that's still hanging in the air. He's like an ostrich, when anything goes wrong or something bad happens, he just likes to stick his head in the sand and pretend everything is great. Jason moves to the side, gesturing for me to lead the way, a smile still plastered on his face. I bow my head, choosing to look at the floor instead of him and his lean, muscular build.

Once we get out into the empty hall – everybody else is already in class since the bell rang during our stare-down – Jason looks behind him to make sure the door is closed before grabbing my arm forcefully. He pulls me around a corner before I have time to make a sound and hisses in my ear.

"What are you?"

I gulp and try to play dumb, "What do you mean?"

Jason spins me around to face him, letting go of my arm, and glares at me. "You know exactly what I mean." His tone is short and harsh, he's not falling for my act.

Still, I say, "No, I don't."

Jason narrows his eyes, "You're the same girl I saw a week ago."

"Isn't today your first day here?"

Jason rolls his eyes, "I'm not falling for your little act so drop it. I saw you, you had a tail!"

I snap at him, "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I suggest you schedule an appointment with your therapist because you can't go grabbing random girls and yelling at them!"

Jason – clearly frustrated that I refuse to admit anything – shouts, "I'm not yelling."

I shrug, a random sense of confidence blooming in me.

"You are now," I say, matter-of-factly.

Jason stares at me. Neither of us flinches, this time I'm not backing down. I realize that Jason can't prove anything. He can _say_ he saw a mermaid, he can even tell everyone that _I'm _a mermaid, but he can't prove it.

Still hugging my notebooks protectively close to my chest, I level my gaze and try to make my next words sound calm and unphased.

"Now, if you're done, I need to get to class." With this, I turn around, ready to leave in a huff but Jason stops me with a condescending chuckle.

"Hold up, mermaid. You still have to give me a tour."

I turn back to see him smirking and feel my stomach drop. Of course, I'd forgotten that whether I liked it or not – definitely not – I had to show Jason around. If I didn't, Mr. Brunner would get suspicious, investigate, and probably force me to do it in the end anyways.

I heaved a huge sigh, scowled, and started walking briskly down the hall. Jason, clearly surprised by my sudden movement, took a few seconds to catch up. I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't glance back at him. I didn't care. I stopped abruptly, immediately turning the black knob on my gray locker while blonde-boy backtracked the few steps he'd continued walking.

I shoved my books into my locker, slammed it shut, and crossed my arms. I glared at Jason, and he stared at me with wide eyes for a second, then seemed to decide that a smirk was more appropriate.

I rolled my eyes, "Stop smirking, it makes you look like you have a long face."

Jason stopped smirking, subconsciously bringing a hand to feel his face.

"Kind of sad, really," I added.

I strolled off, knowing Jason would be forced to play catch-up again. I showed blonde-boy every part of the school, voicing their names in monotone and refusing to react to his glares. By the time we got to the pool, Jason had given up glaring at me and instead listened while I told him what rooms we were in. My tone started to shift and eventually I wasn't droning, but actually enjoying myself just a little bit.

While I pointed to different swim-team posters, Jason stared at the crystal-clear water shining in the pool. I saw his head turn to look at me, and back at the water, then back to me. I sensed what he was going to do before it actually happened. Jason lunged forward, pushing me into the pool easily with his strong arms.

Water rushed all around me, filling my ears and muting the world above. I focused, making sure I didn't transform before rushing up to the surface and staring at Jason with a gaping mouth and water dripping from my eyelashes. Blonde-boy stares at my image underwater, clearly waiting for my tail to appear. I glare at him incredulously until he finally looks up towards my face.

"What in the world did you do that for?" I scream at him, my voice echoing throughout the room. Water is lapping at the sides of the pool, softly filling the air with the noise. Jason's face is crestfallen and I can tell he's starting to doubt what he saw that day in the ocean. I start to feel relief but I'm still cautious.

"I-" Jason starts, trying to answer my question, "I thought…"

"You thought what?" I interrupt, my blue eyes flaming.

Jason looks down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Nothing," he mumbles, "It doesn't matter."

I look at him, feeling guilty for turning his confidence into shame. _It's for the best, _I remind myself, _He can't know I'm a mermaid._ Still, the guilt ebbs away at my brain.

I shake my head and sigh.

"Will you grab me a towel, please?" I ask, all the venom gone from my voice.

Jason straightens up, nodding, and hurries across the wet, tile floor to grab me a towel. I climb out of the pool, dripping water over the already-wet floor, and smile gratefully at him. He smiles awkwardly and apologizes.

I sigh.

"It's okay. I don't know why you did that," I smile, trying to lighten the mood and joke, "but I get that guys like to push girls into pools, Percy used to do it to me all the time."

Jason grins, glad to accept this excuse and pretend he didn't push me in the water to see if I was a mermaid. He tilts his head down bashfully and looks up at me from under his long, brown eyelashes. Grinning sheepishly, he punches me lightly on the arm.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, A."

I raise an eyebrow, "A?"

Blonde-boy shrugs, "Annabeth is too long."

I laugh, wrapping the towel around me tightly. Jason returns to his signature smirk, but his eyes aren't burning with accusation this time. I roll my eyes and suggest I show him to the lost-and-found bin next so I can try to find some dry clothes. Jason laughs, but I can see he's confused. He knows what he saw in the water, but he's doubting it now, doubting _himself_ now because I didn't grow a tail when I hit the water. He doesn't realize that I'm not like those girls on the popular TV show: H2O. I don't turn into a mermaid whenever I get wet, I have to _choose_ to transform.

Part of me worries that he'll figure it out, and part of me feels guilty for tricking him by letting him think he's crazy – that he hallucinated that day I accidentally surfaced in front of him. I don't like lying but I don't have any other choice. I have to lie to _everyone_ when it comes to me being a mermaid. Secrets are secret for a reason, and I can't afford to be discovered.


End file.
